Brush body with rotatable, releasably locked cylindrical brush



m m m m MARY WEIN MAN M. WEINMAN BRUSHBODY WITH ROTATABLE, RELEASABLY Filed Aug., 21, 1951 LOCKED CYLINDRICAL BRUSH March 13, 1956 United States Patent BRUSH BODY WITH ROTATABLE, RELEASABLY LOCKED CYLINDRICAL BRUSH Mary Weinman, Bronx, N. Y. Application August 21, 1951, Serial No. 242,886 1 Claim. (CI. 15-27) This invention relates to brushes.

An object of the invention is to provide a brush with means by which the brush may be adjusted for use for different purposes.

Another object of the present invention is to improve on the art of brushes as now customarily made.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, of a brush according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view Fig. 3 is a sectional view Fig. 4 is a sectional view and Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a detail of the brush shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Figs. 1-4, 20 generally indicates the body member of a brush according to the invention. The body member 20 comprises a frame 22 of substantially U shape, and provided with lugs 24, as best shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. A plate 26 carrying a handle 28 is attached to the lugs 24 of the frame 22 by means of screws 30.

Each of the lugs 24 is provided with a recess 32 slidably receiving a locking slider 34 for a purpose to be described hereinafter.

Three rotatable brushing members 36 are rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 38 of the brush body 20, 26. The axle 40 of each rotatable brushing member 36 passes through one of the three elongated slots 42 of the locking slider 34. At the place of passage through a slot 42 each axle 40 rigidly connected with the supporting member carrying the bristles of the brushing member 36 is provided with a shaped portion 44 of non-circular cross section. In the embodiment shown in the drawings said shaped portion 44 has the cross-section of a square.

A tension spring 46 stretched between a lug 48 mounted on the plate 26 and an actuating member 50 carried by the locking slider 34 tends to urge said slider into the position shown in Fig. 1, wherein it is held by a stop 52 (Figs. 1 and 3) abutting against the edge of a lug 24 of the frame member 22, and wherein the shaped portion 44 of each of the axles 40 is out of engagement with the edges of the slot 42, so that each of the rotatable brushing members 36 may rotate freely.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the brush body 20 includes also a cover 54 secured in any suitable manner to the frame member 22 and plate 26.

The brush may be handled as follows:

When the locking slider 34 is held by the spring 46 n its releasing position shown in full lines in the drawmgs, the rotatable brushing members 36 will rotate in their bearings when the brush is moved along a surface. When the brush is used as a cloth brush, the rotating brushing members 36 thus will dislodge dust and nap.

When the locking slider 34 is moved by the pressure taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, taken on line 44 of Fig. l,

of a thumb on the actuating member 50 against the action of the spring 46 from the releasing position ShOWn in full lines in Figs. 1, 3 and 5, into its locking position shown in dashed lines in Fig. 5, the V-shaped edge 56 of the slot 42 comes into engagement with the square portion 44 of the axle 40, so that the latter together with the enire brushing member 36 is locked and prevented from rotation. Thus the brush is converted from a brush with rotatable bristles into a brush with stationary bristles. Now, if the brush is used as a cloth brush and moved along the surface of a fabric while the locking slider 34 is held in its locking position by means of a thumb acting on the actuating member 50, the now stationary bristles remove the dust and nap previously dislodged.

After use of the brush and release of the actuating member 56, the locking slider 34 is automatically returned from its locking position into its releasing position by the action of the spring 46.

A brush of the type shown in Figs. 15 may also be used as a hair brush. When the locking slider 34 is in its releasing position, the rolling brushing members 36 will cause a massage of the skull. When, however, the brushing members 36 are held stationary by means of the locking slider 34, displaced against the action of the spring 46, the brush may be used for brushing the hair in the customary manner.

I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various omissions or changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those, herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A locking device for a brushing member arranged for rotation in a brush body, comprising in combination: an axle rotatably mounted in said brush body and carrying the blushing member, a locking plate slidably mounted on said brush body in a direction substantially perpendicular to said axle, said locking plate having an elongated slot and being selectively movable into a releasing position and a locking position, said axle passing through said slot of the locking plate and having a shaped portion of square cross-section at the place of passage through said slot, one end of said slot being V-shaped so as to be capable of positive engagement with said square cross-section in a predetermined angular position of said axle, said V-shaped end of said slot being in locking engagement with said square-shaped portion of the axle when the locking plate is in its locking position whereby said axle and said brushing member are held in a fixed position, an actuating member forming part of said locking plate, a tension spring stretched between said actuating member of said locking plate and said brush body, said spring being arranged for urging said locking plate into its releasing position, and a handle rigidly connected with said brush body, said actuating member of said locking plate being arranged in close proximity to said handle so as to be operable by the thumb of a hand gripping said handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 931,143 Phillips Aug. 17, 1909 1,166,482 Reiche Jan. 4, 1916 1,645,357 Skrzecskowski Oct. 11, 1927 1,890,147 Cotti Dec. 6, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 270,891 Germany Feb. 26, 1914 v 536,109 Germany Oct. 19, 1931 iatnted Mar. 13, 1956 

